Lord of the Stars

Asura supported the Lord of the Stars?! The evil demigods who heard this felt waves of shock surge through their hearts once again, accompanied by the humiliating sensation of having their intelligence ground into the dirt. As evil demigods, having a key figure of the orthodox faction suddenly turn out to be an undercover agent for their side—resurrecting an otherwise doomed game—was certainly something to rejoice over, or rather, to be thrilled about. Yet they were demigods! From beginning to end, they had been played like fiddles, spun in circles by the Lord of the Stars and Asura. That sense of humiliation was all too real. *Turns out I was the clown all along?!* Wearing his silver mask, the President appeared high in the sky. Above his head rose the dazzling, divine Tree of Ten Thousand Treasures. He hung the porous heart and the dark-gold mask onto the branches, the air around him warping and boiling with extreme rage. "Lord of the Stars! "I'll skin you alive and rip your tendons out! I'll obliterate your body and soul!" The Lord of the Stars raised his gaze. His eyes, shimmering with brilliant starlight, stared at him as he said calmly, "Do you know why there was an arena battle? The invaders descended their power twice, and you exchanged for divine power once. Three instances of power surpassing the limits have already triggered the Spirit Realm's defense mechanisms. "You can try and see if you can still summon divine power." Having said that, he ignored the Void demigod and walked slowly toward Ling Tuo. Ling Tuo's face twitched violently. "From the very beginning, you and the Stars were playing me..." Asura remained expressionless and gave no answer. The Lord of the Stars spoke with layered intonations, like an emotionless synthesized voice: "You are a fallen Lord of Taiyin. As long as you accommodate the Sun, you will inevitably be purified, which could cause the corruption to fail. Backing you, the best outcome would merely be briefly controlling the Sun and sealing the unowned solar origin. "I am different. I have already comprehended the profound mysteries of the Stars and can harmonize Yin and Yang. As long as I obtain Taiyin and the Sun, I can fuse them in a short time and become the Dominator of the Spirit Realm." Bleeding from all seven orifices, Ling Tuo glared fixedly at him. "You aren't a fallen one?" Starlight filled the Lord of the Stars' eye sockets. Gazing at his scion, he chuckled softly, "Earlier, I said that the Sun is the domineering and masculine aspect, unable to tolerate even a speck of dust, leaning toward Order. Taiyin is the evil and feminine aspect, hence the easiest to fall. The only thing I didn't speak of was the nature of the Stars. "Now, I will tell you. The Stars represent reason, wisdom, and righteousness. I have no need to fall. I can be evil, or I can be orderly. "The nature of the invaders is something both you and I understand. I identify with the invaders' ideals; I believe They are the true Order. On this point, you agree as well. It's just that you only came to agree after suffering corruption and your soul fell. "A fallen one who cannot accommodate the solar origin, versus a Lord of the Stars who can fuse the sun, moon, and stars in a short time and shares Their ideals—tell me, who would they choose?" Ling Tuo asked in a low voice, "If that's the case, why revive me?" The Lord of the Stars sighed. "Back then, when I asked you for the core fragment of the Compass of Light, you refused to give it to me. Only then did the Lord of Taiyin of today come to be." Ling Tuo seemed to have guessed it long ago. The corners of his blood-stained mouth curled up. "So from that moment on, you began scheming. You were the one secretly supporting me to become the Lord of Taiyin, weren't you?" The Lord of the Stars nodded slightly. "Only the Lord of the Stars and the Lord of Taiyin can compete for the Lord of the Sun. Having already claimed the authority of the Stars, by backing you to become the Lord of Taiyin, the orthodox faction had no choice but to support me. "And as long as I have you in the palm of my hand, I become the ultimate victor." Ling Tuo gave a bitter laugh. "A brilliant layout, a marvelous scheme. I fancied myself a chess player, only to realize in the end that I was merely a chess piece. Stars, speak. Let me die with my eyes closed." The Lord of the Stars glanced at Ling Tuo's chest. "Your time is running out." Turning back to his scion's face, he said, "Originally, I intended to obtain the fragment of the Compass of Light to locate the Taiyin hidden within the Spirit Realm, accommodate it, and then, using the status of the Lord of the Stars and Lord of Taiyin, accommodate the Sun to become the ruler of the Spirit Realm. "After failing to secure the fragment of the Compass of Light, I changed my approach. I secretly guided you to fathom the secrets of the Compass of Light... The Compass of Light is the origin of the God of Light, and the God of Light is a servant of the Sun. "Controlling the Compass of Light is equivalent to holding a torch. The 'light' it emits can guide the wielder to several core instances of the Spirit Realm—such as the instance hiding Taiyin, or the instance concealing the Merit Roster. However, the wielder must be a Day Wanderer. "As I said earlier, Taiyin symbolizes evil and femininity. You should know what attributes the invaders possess. As long as the Four Carefree Sons found Taiyin, you would inevitably be corrupted by the invaders. "I knew you would certainly be corrupted, because you were more radical than Heavenly Master Zhang. That was also why the Covenant of Freedom released the Compass of Light—they wanted a Day Wanderer to obtain it, and they wanted the Day Wanderer who got the Compass of Light to be corrupted." Ling Tuo muttered, "Impossible. The method to use the Compass of Light was something we deciphered from an ancient ruin, and that happened several years before the battle for the Compass of Light." A touch of pity surfaced on the Lord of the Stars' face. "I deduced the appearance of the Compass of Light, and even deduced the major factions that might claim it, laying down pieces targeted at each. The Four Carefree Sons were merely one of them." Ling Tuo was stunned for a moment, then gritted his teeth and snarled, "The Compass of Light was put forth by the Covenant of Freedom. Why didn't They just hand the compass fragment cleanly over to you?" The Lord of the Stars sighed. "After the Demon Seed descended upon the mortal world and destroyed the Holy See, the Spirit Realm initiated a self-diagnostic mechanism. On one hand, it bolstered its defense system to resist the invaders' erosion; on the other, it hunted for the Demon Seed lurking among mortals, forcing it to open a mini-world to hide. "Under those circumstances, I could not deduce the higher-status Demon Seed, nor was I aware of its existence. Even less could I communicate with the invaders inside the Spirit Realm. "Only after the battle for the Compass of Light ended did I meet with the Demon Seed and form a formal alliance. "What followed was guiding your fall to become the Lord of Taiyin. "When you Four Carefree Sons entered the Taiyin instance, learned the truth of the Spirit Realm, and understood the nature of the invaders, a massive schism formed among you. You believed destruction was true order—in reality, you were already corrupted by then. "That time, you parted on bad terms. After returning to reality, your corruption deepened and gradually warped you. You tricked Heavenly Master Zhang and the others into using the core fragment of the Compass of Light again for a second exploration. During that expedition, you took the initiative to merge into Taiyin, hoping to become the Lord of Taiyin. "Unable to bring you back to reason, Heavenly Master Zhang and the others had no choice but to exit the instance and enlist the Wind and Thunder Twin Gods, which led to your demise." Ling Tuo gave a tragic smile. "And after that, my resurrection was also orchestrated by your hand!" The Lord of the Stars nodded slightly. "Your arrangement for Shanhe Yongcun to seek help from the Soldier Master sect, wishing to use the Chu family's rule-based item to revive—all of that was within my expectations. Asura had already allied with me back during that battle entering the capital. "Helping you revive and backing you to compete for the solar origin were all just a show for the orthodox faction. "In truth, during the catastrophe caused by the madness of the Wind and Thunder Twin Gods, his advance into the capital to force the Five Elements Alliance and Heaven's Punishment to surrender the fragments of the Compass of Light and open the Sun instance was all done to aid me. "At that time, Taiyin and the Stars had already returned to their positions. As long as I entered the Sun instance, I could become the Lord of the Sun. Unfortunately, the Demon Lord's lingering obsession ruined the plan. "I had no choice but to bide my time and await an opportunity. In any case, you, as the Lord of Taiyin, would help me apply pressure to the orthodox faction." Ling Tuo fell silent for a few seconds before saying, "So, this Sun instance is a trap laid jointly by you and the Demon Seed." The Lord of the Stars replied, "Correct. You control the origin of Taiyin. To kill you in the real world is something even true deities could not achieve. But once you stepped into the Sun instance, you were a turtle trapped in a jar. "The day of the contest for the Sun is the moment your utility as a chess piece is spent. This was the conclusion I designed for you." He glanced far into the distance at the orthodox demigods sunken in deep slumber and said, "Of course, they too were part of the game. Wiping out the orthodox demigods in one fell swoop was nigh impossible; the best method was to awaken the Night Emperor and drag them into slumber with him. I had been waiting for the opportunity until they helped me seize the four formations... "Speaking of which, I have you to thank. If not for you disrupting the Spirit Realm and deepening the invaders' erosion—allowing that entity of the Eternal Night class to descend power and communicate with the Night Emperor—he would never have awakened." *** Within the chaotic world. Sovereign Haotian spoke slowly: "Everyone who gathers the complete Five Elements set and communes with me may make one request of me, and only one. "The First Emperor asked for the method of longevity. Thus, I told him of the existence of Takamagahara—the sole godhead fragment of the Musician class that had not been reclaimed by the Spirit Realm. "By obtaining the Demon Refining Pot, he could slumber within it, preserving the vitality of his flesh and soul while waiting for the Spirit Realm to reopen. "Unfortunately, he failed. "Thus, only two outcomes remained for him: either continuously possess new bodies with the power of the five elements, assimilating soul fragment after soul fragment until he no longer resembled himself; or disperse his soul and forfeit longevity. "The Commander of the Bu Liang Ren was the second person to gather the complete Five Elements set and ask me for the method of longevity. Perhaps he lost the greater part of his soul and forgot he was the First Emperor. Or perhaps the First Emperor possessed his own pride and dignity, disdaining to take such a step for the sake of longevity, and voluntarily dispersed his soul to return to chaos." *Is that so...* Zhang Yuanqing carefully reflected on his brief exchange with the Commander of the Bu Liang Ren. If this demigod hadn't lied to him, then he truly wasn't the First Emperor. No matter how much one changed until they no longer resembled their former self, some fragmented memories would always remain, allowing them to know their true identity. The absence of such memories indicated he was not the First Emperor. If the Commander had lied to him... Zhang Yuanqing couldn't fathom any reason why he would. *Being the First Emperor in a past life is something a man could brag about for the rest of his days.* *** "Trapping me and the orthodox demigods here, and letting the Wind and Thunder Twin Gods run amok with slaughter in reality... killing three birds with one stone. Impressive. Most impressive..." Ling Tuo sneered continuously. "Do you have any other questions?" The Lord of the Stars looked upon his scion with pity. By now, Ling Tuo's complexion was pale and dim, the divine light in his eyes almost extinguished. His spiritual power and essence blood were nearly devoured clean by the Chi You Saber. Every word he spoke required all his strength: "When... did you learn of the invaders' existence and choose to stand on the side of the Freedom faction...?" The Lord of the Stars said, "You have no need to know." "Fine..." Ling Tuo said with difficulty. "Then on Lingjun's behalf, I'll ask you: why did you kill his birth mother?" The Lord of the Stars smiled faintly. "If there is an opportunity, I will tell him in person." With that, he raised his hand and pressed it onto Ling Tuo's crown. Ling Tuo's body collapsed like a black hole. Bleeding from all seven orifices, his expression turned calm, as though he had already accepted his fate. Gazing at the Lord of the Stars, he suddenly curled his lips: "Father, do you truly think you've won?" Amid the fading echo of his voice, his face shattered and disintegrated. His entire being collapsed into a small, pitch-black full moon, cradled in the palm of the Taiyi Sect Master's hand before melting into his body. Asura asked in a deep voice, "What did Ling Tuo mean by his final words?" The Lord of the Stars said, "Taiyin governs secrets and excels in the primordial spirit. Though Ling Tuo is dead, his mental will has not been extinguished. For me to fuse with Taiyin, I must refine his will. "If I were forced by pressure from the Void demigod to forcefully fuse with Taiyin to elevate my status, he would have a chance at one last desperate gamble against me." At present, he had merely taken Taiyin; he had yet to refine and accommodate it. Hearing this, Asura leaned on his saber, glanced toward the Void demigod, and said in a heavy voice, "Shall we cut them down first?" The Lord of the Stars shook his head gently. "Void holds two demigod items. On the offensive, he can drag us down in mutual destruction; on the defensive, he can rely on the Void's traits to swallow humiliation and survive. You and I need only watch and wait." He raised his eyes toward the Void demigod and smiled. "Void, you can exchange at most twice, gaining a total of six minutes of Level 12 combat power. Do you want to guess whether you can kill either me or Asura? "And why don't you guess which of us holds the Mother Goddess's Womb—me, or Asura? Ling Tuo wanted to use you to pressure me, forcing me to accommodate Taiyin ahead of time to fight you, but that was merely an unrealistic fantasy before his death. "However, once I obtain the solar origin and refine his spirit and will, all hope for Order will be utterly extinguished. How about it—care to take a gamble?" The Void demigod's face turned livid. The Lord of the Stars chuckled softly. "You still have two days. Take your time to think it over."